Best Fitness and Exercise Websites to Follow for 2016

Best Fitness and Exercise Websites to Follow for 2016

Introduction

Thanks to the internet, we live in an era saturated with easily accessible information coming from around the world. With a few seconds of typing and the click of a button, I can do a google search for “exercise websites”, which returns with 114 million results related to the subject! Out of those 114 million results, chances are at least one link has knowledge that will guide you in the right direction; however, how do we determine which websites are worth visiting? How do we determine whether a website is credible or not and pertains specifically to our interest?

While search engines like Google rank pages higher according to relatedness to the keywords you typed and article popularity as determined through number of other high quality websites linking to that site, there is a major flaw with this system. Just because a website is popular, doesn’t mean it’s good. As a powerlifter, many of the websites that show up for things I am searching for on Google are hardly applicable to my tastes, but are instead aimed at the Planet Fitness denizens or newbies to strength training that don’t know any better.

We may scoff at the idea of getting a six pack in one week, but the newbie follows it verbatim and then wonders why he or she doesn’t see the advertised results. The truth is that many great websites and articles go unnoticed or under appreciated because they aren’t linked with popular sites like bodybuilding.com or Men’s Fitness. With that being said, my purpose today is to draw attention to underrated fitness and exercise websites that I am personally impressed with, and believe that you, the reader can benefit from much like I have.

Fitness and Exercise Websites

Although Examine isn’t all that new (it was founded in 2011), I am astonished by how many people are unfamiliar with the website. If you have ever questioned the efficacy of supplements, then this is the website for you. Armed with a team of medical doctors, Examine’s goal is to provide the reader with unbiased information on supplementation and nutrition through the collection and analysis on relevant scientific research.

Each supplement whether it be fish oil or ginkgo biloba, features countless informative headlines such as a Summary, Things to Know, How to Take, Editor’s Thoughts and Frequently Asked Questions. Perhaps their most captivating headline; however, is the Human Effect Matrix. Under this title, you will find a list of the supplement’s effects on the human body according to research (no animal or in vitro studies here) along with magnitude of change, a scientific consensus and additional comments.

Examine provides links to all of the studies that they referenced as well if you would like to investigate further. When I wrote an article on the Best Powerlifting Supplements, I turned to Examine to make sure I didn’t miss anything and to verify the validity of my claims. Before you waste your hard-earned money on supplements, see what the scientific literature actually says about your supplements on Examine.

Learn about the ingredients in your supplements at Examine before you buy.

I recently came across All About Powerlifting through Facebook, and I am extremely impressed by the quality of powerlifting related material that is produced on this website. This should come as no surprise considering Tim Henriques, the owner of All About Powerlifting, has written over 60 articles for tnation since 2006.

In addition to being an exceptional and experienced writer, Tim is also the Director of the National Personal Training Institute of VA/MD/DC (NPTI), drug-free competitive powerlifter with a 700 pound deadlift at 198 to his name and the coach of Team Force, a powerlifting team which won the Open Federation Team Championships in 2011 and 2013.

Tim also wrote a book with the same name of his site, All About Powerlifting. As of this writing, Tim’s book has a 5.0 rating on Amazon with 49 customer reviews. If these feats aren’t worthy of being an authority figure on powerlifting, then I don’t know what is. If you’re a powerlifter like me, you will love the content that All About Powerlifting delivers.

Roman Fitness Systems is one of the more unique fitness websites thanks to its creator, John Romaniello. John Romaniello is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and New York Times bestselling author. An adviser to nearly a dozen fitness and tech companies, Romaniello has written for a myriad of publications covering topics ranging from insulin sensitivity to investment strategy, and has been featured in dozens of publications and on a number of TV shows.

While John’s accomplishments are impressive, the truth is that there are other writers online with comparable resumes. Not one of those; however, can replicate John’s riveting writing style. His no-nonsense, blunt rhetoric reminds me a lot of Jim Wendler and Mark Rippetoe (both who possess a cult following) and many of us with an interest in strength sports seem to gravitate toward people who write this way. John also holds a deadlift PR of 660×3, so he’s no stranger to the iron either.

Admittedly, most (not all) of the articles on Roman Fitness Systems are now written by guest bloggers, but the articles remain engrossing and enlightening. If you don’t believe me, give this article a read.

It seems like every nutrition website spews broscience or relentlessly attempts to sell me the most recent magical cure-all diet. If you’ve spent time researching nutrition on the internet like I have, you probably came across high-carb diets, low-carb diets, carb-cycling, liquid diets, caveman diets, blood type diets and even the baby food for adults diet! There is really a lot of garbage for us to sift through to find the gems.

Created late in 2012, Authority Nutrition helps us sift through the garbage without trying to pitch us a diet that we would never adhere to. Much like Examine, the Authority Nutrition teamconsists almost exclusively of individuals with a masters or doctorate in human nutrition and the advice that is given is based on recent scientific research.

If you would like to know more about the latest research on nutrition diets and weight loss, Authority Nutrition has a subscription service for $5 a month. If you are a subscriber, you receive access to in-depth reviews of the most interesting studies published each week along with an overview of everything interesting that was published on the science of nutrition, diets and weight loss. Regardless of whether or not you wish to become a member, Authority Nutrition is worth the visit.

Articles on Authority Nutrition cover the science of nutrition, weight loss and health in an easily-digested manner.

Tabata Times may cater toward crossfitters, but anyone with an interest in lifting can benefit from some of their featured articles. I particularly enjoyed their article on Knee Valgus, especially since there seems to be a dearth of useful information pertaining to this problem. If you aren’t into crossfit, you may have to dig around a little to find an article to your taste, but I assure you that it’s worth it. Check out the article above to get a better idea as to the quality of articles that Tabata Times publishes.

For you girls out there reading this, I have a website just for you. Designed by women for women, Girls Gone Strong firmly believes that strong is the new skinny and with authors like Jen Comas, you can bet these girls take their strength training seriously. With easy to follow advice and frequent reader spotlights, Girl Gone Strong is a great exercise website and motivational tool for girls interested in strength training.

Conclusion

As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, there are more than a few fitness and exercise websites floating around on the internet. Unfortunately, because of how search engines are set up, it’s hard for new-found websites to find a footing in an established space, especially in one as competitive as the fitness industry. Many of the popular websites today are popular because they have had years or even decades to acquire a large viewership and forge relationships with other sites or companies. Those who are late to the game are at an inherent disadvantage, even if their material is better (which it often is). By giving these sites a chance and by sharing the articles we like, we help to insure that these quality websites are around to stay. If you like articles like this, you may also like my article on the Five Best Strength Training Books for Powerliftingalso.

Thank You

I hope you enjoyed reading “Best Fitness and Exercise Websites to Follow for 2016”! If you did, please share it and be sure follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Tumblr and Pinterest. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment below or Contact Me. Last, but most certainly not least, thank you for your time and feedback!

Hans Hinnershitz

I am a 23 year old Powerlifter and Strength and Conditioning Assistant at the renowned Orlando Barbell gym. My best raw totals to date are 1576@220 and 1555@198. I am in the process of cutting to the 181’s where I believe I stand my best chance competitively. I will graduate in Spring of 2016 from UCF with a B.S in Exercise Science and minors in Biology and Personal Training.